I Wish To Be A Champion
by MaelstromForce
Summary: After the battle with the Wolf, Ram, and Hart one stay behind. From the ashes of evil, a new power for good had begun to arose. Her name is Illyria, and she will not fail.
1. The Final Battle

That night the rain poured down as if the sky was crying. It had plenty reason to. The Wolf, Ram and Hart laid down hell with a vengeance. There power was stripped from them, like how my powers were stripped from me.  
  
As the walls of Wolfram and Hart came crashing down, so did the Senior Partners will. With that they sent hordes of demons to extinguish the light to which threatened once and for all. The four of us stood there watching. Like locusts descending upon wheat, they came.  
  
One by one, they proceeded to become larger and larger as the father back they were.  
  
"Let's go to work", Angel stated. A champion he is, one who I have grown to respect. With the raising of his sword we were set fourth like soldiers. Even a dying Gunn still fought with prowess.  
  
My mind at the time was filled with an overwhelming emotion. Wesley's death brought forth an urge to kill. Kill those who are responsible for his death, and those related to them. My plan was to slay them all like how the man who cared for me in my darkest hours cared for me. Even if he was doing it out of the love that withered away, it proved his character.  
  
As Angel and Spike charged forward, weapons in hand, and while Gunn hobbled forward, holding in pain, I hesitated. I looked down saw the weapon that was used to kill Wesley in my hand. I saw his eyes as he died! He looked at me and saw something other than the illusion I was creating for him! And now the man who deserves to be here is dead, and waste like this pollutes the universe.  
  
A demon warrior raised his axe to me, but before he had to time to bare it down upon me, the knife in my hand had been in bedded in his skull. He fell to the ground lifeless, and so did his axe. The axe was held by me now, and blind with rage I began my slaughter. For every face I saw that night was Vail's. Every skull I beheaded that night had a crimson face starring lifelessly back at me.  
  
There was so many of them, in one swipe 3 would die at once. No doubt these were just the pawns, sent into battle to die at the hands of us, so the stronger acolytes of the king and queen could tear us down one by one. I looked to my left and saw Spike and Gunn fighting them off to the best of there abilities. If Gunn died, he would have taken many with him, and no doubt Spike could finish them all off. Not even a now air born Angel noticed the behemoths walked steadily toward us. I clutched my axe and a near by metal bar. I would not let their plan come full circle.  
  
Charging toward them, they reared up with horse like legs and tried to crush me with their mammoth like hooves. I darted out of the way and slid on the water soaked asphalt and used the momentum I was given by the slide to ricochet off of the near wall onto the back of one of the great beasts. The beast responded to my mounting of it with a mighty roar and 2 desperate swings at its back with its human like arms. I marveled at its tenacity and at the same time wished to butcher it. I screamed in rage and bludgeoned its muscular neck with the metal pole in my hand. Before it collapsed I leaped onto the back of another one of the centurion beasts and cut its head off swiftly. Two more of the monsters walked behind. I jumped off of the headless creature and quickly looked back to the scene I had left to kill the behemoths. I only saw Spike, fighting alone, the hooded pawns. A large metal waste receptacle was to the right of me, in line site of the approaching fiend. With a stout push the metal waste receptacle toppled the beasts gangly legs, breaking them. It fell to its broken knees inside the bin. I wished to stand there and watch it suffer, but I have more important endeavors to attend to. With axe in hand I slit its throat. One more remained, and behind that I could not see. The rain acted as a vale, covering what ever was behind it.  
  
With the word Vale in mind I rose my axe to staffs length and began to plan how I was to kill the next monster. Suddenly an ear piercing screech was heard from above. The dragon that Angel had mounted crashed into mighty titan warrior, the dragons throat slit, and its jaws snapped around the chest of the beast I thought to slay. Angel leaped off of the back of the dragon and darted to an ally wall. I followed.  
  
I saw Angel huddled over Gunn's fading body. As Gunn quivered in agony Angel supported his head and knelt down. Gunn's bloodshot eyes met mine as I came to the scene full circle.  
  
"Lasted longer than 10 minutes," he said with a desperate laughter. He face was badly beaten, and his torso was covered on blood. A mix of carnage and sweat emanated from him. I remember him looking to Angel, and then I felt a change in him. As if a lie was to justified. "Angel..." He struggled to conjugate, for his lungs had undoubted been pierced. "I'm not Gunn"... Angel grasped his hand as he slowly slipped away.  
  
"What?" Angel whispered softly. It was hard to tell if Angel cried that night, next to Gunn's delirious body, for rain streamed down his face.  
  
Gunn's face moved around repeatedly, as if he was trying to shake the words from his head. "W..Wh..White room.. F..Find..em in..the..white room.." And with those eerily prophetic words he died. Angel's face became solid. His exterior seemed hurt and broken, but I felt on the inside much hope, almost joy. Spike came back to us. His face was bloody and bruised. He looked as I did when the hand of the Senior Partners struck me repeatedly and left me for dead.  
  
After the final battle, the after events brought be here. The streets of this metropolis are covered with evil still. Even with the fall of the Wolf, Ram and Hart, the evil the forever impending darkness always lingers.  
  
I an old one, should be one down there, with the rest, fighting to reclaim this world in the name of the demon. Though I dont, and will not. Winifred Burkle. Somehow the power of the human spirit can overcome anything. Even me. I wish to be a champion. Just like Winifred. 


	2. Allias and Monsters

The stale night air moved across my stolen skin slowly. I stood upon a large building looking down upon my target. I could sense the demon's inside these human like creatures clawing about, as if hungry. They seemed to swarm around this building as if it was a sanctuary. Like ants, one by one they would move in and out. I remembered how social vampires are, and how they commonly establish places like these. Back then they would call it a home, now they call it a nest.  
  
If a vampire is a slayers "problem" then why does such a large amount congregate here tonight, with no slayer? Winifred's memories tell of a very power witch who used the essences of great women to activate millions of warriors. All of which had the strength and skill to kill vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. Silly humans.  
  
My job was to be executed simply. Attain access to the vampire nest from a back entry way, and exterminate them all one by one. If any human hostages await inside I am to guard them until they can be taken out safely.  
  
I knelt down on the ledge from which I stood and jumped off the building onto the near by black surface. To gain the right opportunity to attack changes to my appearance must be made. With the passing of underneath shadows I morphed into a normal looking Winifred Burkle. Her meek exterior is the perfect device to deceive an eager vampire with. In the clothes Fred wore before she died I approached the door. Sounds of lusting whistles I heard coming from the shadows. I came to the door and knocked twice politely as Fred would.  
  
A large hulking vampire answered the door. "Well what do you know boys? Food's hear!" he shouted into the house as an uproar of shouting occurred to celebrate their meal.  
  
"Well I was just wonderin if you could tell me how to get to the interstate? I don't want any trouble," I said with knees trembling.  
  
"Well that's funny," he approached me and stroked the milky skin of my arm. "Cause I do."  
  
"Well then...Good!" I said as I struck him with my seemingly meek fist, sending him flying into a nearby wall.  
  
With wheezing he said, "What are you? A slayer??"  
  
I walked slowly, into the shadows of the threshold, and emerged in my true form. "No. I am of graver harm to you!" I threw him through the wall that lay against. The hole reviled the vampires residing within the nest. Playing various human games, their jubilation was interrupted as one of the comrades became impaled upon an idle wooden cue, which happened to be held by another vampire.  
  
"KILL HER!" he shouted with wide eyes just before his vanished into his death shroud of dust.  
  
As several hulking half-demons rushed toward me I reached to the wall and pulled a similar wooden cue from a stand. Swiftly I broke it in half and stabbed the 2 pieces in the hearts of 2 vampires that rushed at me from my right and left side. Before their dust had fallen to the ground I had already slew 2 more.  
  
One lunged from behind a door into the air with an unearthly growl, and was able to perform a high kick maneuver to hurl him into wall.  
  
At that moment the once beloved smell of panic filled the room. I caught 2 vampires trying to escape out a window like little mice. I spun the wooden shards in my hands and rapidly chucked them both into their quivering hearts.  
  
As I turned my head I began to attack with more ferocity than the other demons that attacked me. Another vampire tried to escape my wrath, but before he could cross the threshold he stopped. I could feel his fear over come him as he looked down and saw my fast sticking out of his chest. I quickly removed my hand hold his heart. He moaned in pain and fell to the floor. In utter furry I crushed his heart in the palm of my hands right before his eyes. As his ill-fated blood touched his face he turned to dust.  
  
CRASH!  
  
I looked behind my slaughter and saw a window broken open. I could smell the impurity of the vampire that made it coming from the outside. Leaping over the torn and beaten furniture I ran out the hole that I made with the vampires body and began the hunt of the last vampire.  
  
His stamina was running low. His adrenaline flow was getting the best of him clearly. The cover of darkness was of no use to him, for with his large clumsy feet made so much noise I could dismember him without him knowing.  
  
He darted into a nearby ally to seek shelter. I could feel him looking over the corner for my coming. He looked twice and saw me he did not, for the third time he looked over the corner and my fist met his face. When he landed his soon to be mangled body dragged the concrete making an almost beautiful sound.  
  
Quickly he got to his feet and continued to run. "OH GOD! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE!"  
  
He shouted at me as I walk calmly and slowly. He was going no where, for this ally was a dead end. I could smell the blood that he had tasted on his lips. I could hear the screams of all the people he slaughtered, and for an instant I saw Vale! "Your pleas are of no use." His shaking body made this kill all more thrilling. "You scream like a human infant. Do you not know that I am aware of all the horrors you have committed? I can smell the flesh on your mouth." His body shook again as if the ground beneath him quaked. He stepped back and felt the wall behind him. "Feel that wall behind you well. For it will now neighbor your grave," I warned as I approached him.  
  
I raised my hand to his throat and he tried to bat me away like a fly. To punish him for that childish insolence I backhanded his face and then gripped his throat tightly, pinning his up against the wall with one arm.  
  
With a muffled groan he said, "I'm sorry..?"  
  
"And you call yourself a demon!" with that apology I ripped his head clean off with my other arm. His body turned to dust, and the nest he occupied was now vacant. I began to think my night was over with, but a light breeze I felt a new presence inside the ally way.  
  
The silhouette of a young girl, I saw. Her arms folded as if she was looking down upon me. Human she was, I could hear a strong heartbeat from where I stood. "Nice kill." She started to approach. "Was he not doing his job?"  
  
"I do not understand. What is your purpose?"  
  
"Lets just say I'm here to remove scum like you from this plane of existence," she spoke confidently. Her hair was chestnut, and her eyes green like floral chorus.  
  
"I do not like your tone. Who are you?" I bellowed. She chose to respond by hitting me in the face, only once. The hit was barely enough to for me to move from where I stood. She moved her shoulder as if she was to perform another assault, but before she could execute it I had grappled her, and thrown her to the ground. "You did not answer my question. Who are you?"  
  
She got up slowly, no doubt her leg was hurt in some form. "I am Cassandra, The Vampire Slayer!" she cried out as if she was to instill the feeling of fear into my old form.  
  
"A slayer?" she tried to perform an old maneuver to ground me, but her technique was met with much anticipation. I was able to grab a hold of her arm and pull her from her grounded state and backhand her back down to the ground. I moved away from her to keep her safe from myself. Killing a human, much less a slayer, was of no appeal to me. Fred would never approve of killing an innocent. "I have memories of the slayer containing great power. Strong enough to contend with a demon forged by a Power That Was. She fought with prowess and grace. Her name was Faith."  
  
"Wha?? How do you know Faith?!" she said with heavy breathing. Her face was bruised, and her nose was bloody.  
  
"You are nothing compared to her. You fight with inexperience and clumsiness. You do not deserve to call yourself a slayer until you can identify a friend from foe."  
  
"Oh..." she struggled to get up. "And I suppose that all the blood on your hands is from all the people you saved tonight?"  
  
I eyed her head strong face. "You also do not deserve to call yourself a slayer until you can differentiate the blood of a human from the blood of a vampire."  
  
"But you're a demon! I can see it!" she spoke with fury. I could feel her insecurities arising from deep within. She was certain she was doing good.  
  
I turned away from her and began to walk away, out of the all way. "Things are not always black and white." How can slayer be no naïve? But then again, how could an Old One be so naive as well?  
  
I was to go home now as instructed by Angel. For tomorrow I am to meet with a mage. 


End file.
